“Why hasn’t anyone done a hip-hop version of Alexander Hamilton’s life?” said the Broadway composer and lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda in a 2012 article in The New York Times. Lucky for us, Mr. Miranda — a history buff who had long been fascinated by the turbulent life and tragic end of our nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury — has done just that. This Tbook, a selection of articles and reviews from The Times, chronicles the evolution of Miranda’s musical “Hamilton,” from its beginnings as an experimental rap project, to Off Broadway at the Public Theater and, ultimately, to megahit on Broadway. The overwhelming success of “Hamilton,” inspired by Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography, has had far-reaching effects. It has not only created a new kind of theater experience, it has also been influential in preserving Hamilton’s image on the $10 bill and has sparked a surge of interest in the man himself, whose importance as a founding father has often been overlooked by history.
